Unfortunately empty Epson cartridges cannot raise funds for good causes because the cost of collecting and refilling them is much higher than the cost of making new copies. However there are many free recycling options. If you have cartridges for another manufacturer of printer, please see our complete UK cartridge recycling guide instead.
If you have full & unused Epson cartridges (genuine / originals) still sealed in their packaging, do not recycle them as empties — try our full cartridge guide instead:
If you just have empty Epson cartridges, here are some options for recycling those:
If your cartridges are Epson-branded genuine originals — they show the Epson logo on the packaging and are not compatible / off-brand / generic versions — you can return them to Epson! They pay the transport and processing costs.
First, check if your cartridge (or the new one you've bought) came with a pre-paid recycling envelope or postage label to use to return an empty cartridge. If not, you can organise recycling on Epson's web site:
Choose your printer type, and depending on that you'll be given an option to receive recycling envelopes in the post, print out a prepaid postage label, or organise collections.
You can take advantage of cartridge refill shops, local council recycling sites, larger supermarkets, and office supply stores for any ink cartridges, and some of these options will help you with limited quantities of toner cartridges.
If your have compatible Epson cartridges, it's possible the manufacturers provides an alternative free recycling scheme to the original/genuine Epson one, but it's worth checking on Google using the name of the cartridge's manufacturer.
Ask your supplier or retailer if they can take back your empties as a courtesy to you as their customer.
If you buy from a physical (bricks and mortar) store, they must either accept the empties in store for free recycling, or they will have to pay money towards local-council-run recycling facilities.
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